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Monday, September 29, 2008

- The racing on the Pro-Ride surface has been pretty formful thus far it seems. However, that doesn't mean anything other than to further the notion that the Del Mar Polytrack and this new synthetic have at least something in common. I think what we all want to see is how horses that have been racing on dirt out east fare on the Santa Anita main track. So far, the vast majority of runners have been, as you would expect, California circuit horses. And with the major BC preps there now past, we probably won't get many clues at all before the big event.

However, we did have a couple of prominent shippers that ran over the weekend: Hystericalady is primarily an "eastern" horse, though she has proven able to handle the California synthetics in the past; though she's never actually won on one. She ran well again on Saturday, but just couldn't hold off the monstrous Zenyatta.

But Regal Ransom, who won first-out as an even money good thing at Saratoga, was 8th at 7-5 in the Norfolk on Sunday. Man, he was bet off the board again. The disappointing result probably raises the question of the wisdom of making a maiden graduate the odds-on favorite in a G1 stakes race when stretching out to two turns in its second start, rather than necessarily indicating that he didn't like the track.

I liked the win in the Norfolk by Street Hero, making his first route try (as was most of the field). Got a ground saving trip, but found himself in a box trying to get to the front around the turn. "I think I got stopped about 10 times," said Alex Solis. Here's another Grade 1 winner, the 7th in three crops racing, for the sire Street Cry. He's also the sire of Zenyatta, and he missed a G1 hat trick when Street Boss came up a tad short in the Ancient Title. Street Hero is out of a mare by Summer Squall.

Street Boss ran a great race as usual, but Cost of Freedom was better on this day; that despite engaging the leaders while extremely wide around the turn for home. This son of Cee's Tizzy exploded in his first start for John Sadler in his last, and was no less spectacular winning a Grade 1 in his first ever open stakes try.

"There have been four horses euthanized as a result of injuries suffered during racing or training at Santa Anita since Sept. 20, two on Sunday. But trainers said the injuries do not appear related to the new track surface,.

On Sunday morning, the unraced 2-year-old Attitac was euthanized after suffering a pastern injury. Attitac was nearing his career debut for trainer Dan McFarlane. In Sunday's third race, Gem Proof, a $35,000 claimer, was euthanized after suffering a suspensory injury, according to his trainer, Mike Mitchell.

"It was one of those things that happened," Mitchell said of the injury. "I'm not going to blame the racetrack. So far, the track has been good."

He's Invincible was euthanized Sept. 23 after suffering a sesamoid injury while training. Trainer Mark Glatt said he believed the incident was unrelated to the surface. On Saturday, the John Sadler-trained Tizsweetdreams was euthanized after a workout injury."